Parashas Miketz

This Shabbos on Chanukah and Rosh Chodesh, we read Parashas Miketz as well as the Torah reading for this day of Chanukah and Rosh Chodesh .
In last week's Parsha, we read how the Chamberlain of the Cupbearers forgot Yosef and so Yosef spent another two years in prison, making it 12 years that he was in prison altogether.
This Parsha continues on,relating to what happened before, with the Hebrew letter "Va." Because Yosef did not have faith in HaShem to Let him out,he had to spend an extra two years there. And so, it was 2 years to the very day that his time had come for release .
This Parsha of "Miketz," starts out with Pharaoh having dreams. It was the night of Rosh HaShanah, when HaShem Judges the World, that the World then was to be affected by plenty and then a famine . The narative tells us how Pharaoah was standing "Al Ha Ye'or " - " Over the river . " This tells us about the arrogant characters of the Pharaohs . At that time, the River Nile was looked upon as a deity, supposedly supplying Egypt's water needs and so , Pharaoh saw himself , "Over " even the River, their deity , so Pharaoh saw himself above even their deity at that time .If only they knew , it is G-D who Makes all . In the first dream, Pharoah saw seven well fed cows come out of the River and graze in the marshland, a place not usual for grazing .Thereafter, came seven other cows , quite the opposite and scrawny, and they came and stood next to the healthy cows and then ate them . Pharaoh then awoke . He fell asleep again and dreamed a second time , of seven ears of grain, sprouting on a single stalk, healthy and good and then after them , grew seven ears of grain of the opposite appearance thin and scorched by the East Wind and they swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears . Then Pharaoh woke up and realized , seeing that it appeared so real, that it had been a dream .
Pharaoh knew these dreams had great import and so , summoned many to try interpret their meaning . Deep down, HaShem Had given Pharaoh the interpretation of his dream but hidden it, so Pharaoh would recognize that none under him could guess its meaning, even if he only knew it subconsciously , and so, when HaShem Through Yosef , Gave the correct interpretation , Pharaoh knew to trust it .
Each one tried to make up their own meaning, one saying he will have seven new sons and others saying he would lose seven children , but Pharaoh knew it was none of their interpretations.
It was then that the Chamberlain of the Cupbearers spoke up about Yosef and his ability ( from HaShem ) to interpret dreams .
The time had come , with not a moment to waste, for Yosef to rise to power . Yosef was summoned , rushed from the prison ,shaved ( for he had remained a nazirite since he came to Egypt ) and he was brought before Pharaoh , and as guests were seen, put to stand on the bottom few steps of the 49 steps leading up to Pharaoh .
Pharoah tested Yosef , by telling him he had dreamed a single dream with two parts , but Yosef proved himself by saying it was two dreams of a similar meaning .Yosef said it is HaShem Who Gives Knowledge and Will Answer for Pharaoh's welfare . When Pharaoh related the dreams to Yosef, he mentioned he had awoken yet made it sound like it was a single dream. Yosef, by HaShem straight away said it was two dreams. Pharaoh also never told Yosef how the lean cows first stood next to the healthy cows before they ate them, yet by HaShem, Yosef knew and said so .
Pharaoh saw that Yosef knew . HaShem through Yosef , related the meaning of the dreams , of seven years of abundance coming very soon ,being followed by seven years of extreme famine . The two dreams alike, showed that HaShem Would Hasten it . Yosef also knew from HaShem, that in Pharaoh's dream , Pharaoh was standing over the River, and not on the bank, as Pharaoh had said, when he related the dreams at first to Yosef . Yosef was shown beyond this, how our Jewish people would also have a redeemer, Moshe , who would be hidden in the 'marshland ,' for Moshe was hidden in the bullrushes .Also, the well fed cows, symbolized egyptians who would fall to HaShem's Jews, who were their slaves, emaciated and gaunt .The seven , relates to the idea of a redeemer that would come , by HaShem's Sending, and help bring our people out of bondage.
Yosef went a step further , by giving advice on how to handle the years of famine by appointing one who will ensure during the years of abundance, grain would be stored.
Pharoah instantly wanted to promote Yosef, due to his discerning soul,but the ones in power , under Paraoh , objected that no outsider was allowed to take a high position in egypt unless he knew all the 70 languages of the nations. The Angel Gavriel came that night to teach Yosef every language and so , the next morning, Yosef appeared again before Pharaoh on the first step . Pharoah asked him a question in Mitzri ( Egyptian ) and Yosef answered and climbed a step. Pharaoh asked him another question in Aramean , and Yosef again answered in Aramean and so, climbed another step . Every few languages that Pharaoh tested him on, Yosef climbed a step until he was on the same level as Pharoah and then Yosef asked a question of Pharaoh in Ivrit Hebrew, but such a Holy Tongue, impure Pharaoh couldn't learn and so , he asked Yosef to keep that a secret the Yosef knew one more language than Pharaoh . It was at this point, that Pharaoh made Yosef Viceroy and only by the throne would Pharoah outrank him.
Yosef was given Pharaoh's Ring and dressed in fine linen garments with a gold chain around his neck .
Pharoah also gave him a name " Zaphenat Paneach " which meant ' Revealer of Hidden Things ," and Yosef , was led through the city on the second royal chariot ( similar to the inauguration of Mordechai when he was promoted over haman ) . While Yosef was being presented through the city, young Osnas ( his sister Dina's daughter ) threw down to him a locket he had given her when they were young and still in Yaakov's home , and for the first time, Yosef looked up at the crowd toward her . They were married and had two children , Manasseh and Ephraim . These things would allay any false charges put on Yosef before by evil Zulaicha ,Potiphera's wife .
The Seven years of Abundanve happened as predicted and straight after that the Seven years of Famine hit like a tidal wave, for while the bread was still on the table, it suddenly became moldy and so Yosef opened up the store houses to sell grain .
Yosef knew the famine would stretch to Canaan and so, instituted certain laws to ensure that his brothers would be highlighted and brought before him , when they came . He ensured that no more than one bag of grain be sold to one person, that grain was not to be used for trade, that all those entering the gates of Egypt, had to give details of their names, family names and name of their Father and place from where they came .
Every night, Yosef had his sons bring him the lists of newcomers , hoping his family would arrive .
The Famine in Canaan became severe, and Yaakov called his sons except Binyamin to go to Egypt to buy grain . Yaakov uses the Hebrew word "Shever " which does not just mean " Provisions/grain" but also "Hope" ( Rashi ) for subcosciously Yaakov never gave up hope of finding his Yosef and prophetically he spoke this word ,saying , " Maybe hope ( Shever ) and provisions will be found in Egypt ."
The brothers never gave up hope of finding Yosef and knew he may have been sent to Egypt and so they decided to enter separately in different gates .
That night, the records were brought to Yosef and he noticed his brothers names from Canaan, son of Yaakov , entering through separate gates, for they hoped to look in lower parts of Egypt for Yosef. Yosef had them brought before him, and so his dreams were starting to be fulfilled.
Yosef decided to test them to see if they repented of what they did and to give them the opportunity to atone .He recognized them but they did not recognize the man he had become . He accused them of being spies , highlighting the fact they had entered through different gates . He got them to admit they had lost a brother and saw their remorse. He had them all put in prison for three days and then let them out telling them they were to bring their youngest brother there to prove they were not spies and Yosef had Simeon ( the one who had wanted to kill him and who had thrown him in the pit ), put in prison and sent the brothers off, filling their bags with grain and returning their money to their sacks . The brothers talked among themselves how, what they had done to Yosef before, was coming back at them . When they reached an inn, it was Yehudah who first discovered the money and so, they were punished middah knegged middah for the anguish they had perpetrated on Yosef by selling him .
On returning home, they told their Father Yaakov what had happened and Yaakov refused to let his youngest son go, remembering how his wife Rachel had died on the road and Yosef had disappeared on the road and thus refused to let Binyamin go with them . Even when Reuvein put up his own two sons as collateral, Yaakov still refused to let them go with Binyamin .
. The famine worsened and Yaakov saw he had no choice and agreed only on condition of Yehudah's assurance. Yaakov had them take gifts and the money that was returned and also, wrote the Viceroy a letter pleading to let them go and free Simeon and not hold Binyamin .
They arrived back in Egypt and Yosef had them brought to his house . They gave the money they had brought back, to give to the Viceroy and Simeon was brought out to them . They were brought into Yosef's home. Where they prepared their gifts for when Yosef was to come .
Yosef amazed them , as he put their seating in order of their age , except for Yehudah who he put at the head of the table saying that a king must sit at the head and except for Binyamin , whom he said that seeing they both are without a Mother, they would sit together . Yosef showed them his silver cup, which he made out he uses to divine with it and asked Binyamin if he had any children , to which Binyamin responded that he had . Binyamin let him know that he had named his sons with names that would remind him of his brother Yosef . Yosef turned aside then and wept and then returned . Yosef then asked Binyamin if he learnt the sciences of the world . Binyamin said that yes he had .Yosef asked if he had studied astrology and Binyamin said that he had . Yosef then asked him to look at the astrology chart and to define where his lost brother was . To Binyamin's amazement , he saw that his brother Yosef was sitting right next to him and Yosef took him aside and revealed to him the test he was about to perform and that he wanted to know if the brothers would now stand up for their other brother.
The brothers were given , to their amazement , a Kosher meal . The men were sent off and the silver goblet put into the youngest one's sack and their money returned. Just after they had left the city, Yosef had them brought back and said to them ' Why do you repay evil for good .' ( Words that echoed Yosef's original good intentions for his brothers that was taken wrong when they repaid his good intentions with a wrong action, for the silver goblet was of course found in Binyamin's sack , purposefully placed for this very reason .A silver goblet was used to let them atone via anguish , for the silver they had received in Yosef 's exchange .They returned to Egypt by Yosef , ready to be slaves . The dream fulfilled. Yosef said they could go but leave Binyamin there as a slave. Now they would prove whether they had repented . So ends this Sedra .
The word " Miketz ," is related to Mashiach and the End of Days , and means ' At the End Point ,' which does refer to Olam Habah The World To Come .In Torah , it is a reference used for the End of Days , when the Final Redemption will take place . Though we wait every day, ongoing like it feels it is so far away, when it does come, it will be like what happened with Yosef, suddenly in the midst of suffering ,Yosef was suddenly rushed out of prison to take his Rightful Place . So will it be with Mashiach's time . It will suddenly come like a flood when we least expect it , not waiting a moment longer . The very word 'Ketz' means ' End Point ' and with the 'Mi' in front that means 'Who,' it asks , for Who will it be the ' End?'. For our enemies . If we take the word ' Ketz ' in Gematriah, we get 100+90=190 and 1+9+0 =10 - the number of completion and also the number of the Ten Commandments to help us get to the End of Days and also the number of Pronouncements HaShem Made to Create Creation in the Beginning . So you see, all things come back to the Beginning . We all are traveling on a path from the Beginning after the aveirah, in Gan Eiden , to follow with Torah , the path back to where we were in the Beginning , Gan Eiden , the place of the ' Ketz ' - ' End Point ' so we can return to the Beginning step where we deviated . The very word before it ," Vayehi," - " And it Happened ,' can also be rendered " And it was," a word mentioned after each day of Creation, in the beginning . So it shows us again, that this Miketz is a stepping stone to the final Miketz at the End Of Days , where we can return to our path , we started on , just before that Eternal First Shabbos, so we are to work toward finishing that final step that has awaited Creation, to bring it to its Completeion , since Adam Ve Chava left the Garden and couldn't step into the Eternal Shabbos.
Like what happened to the brothers via Yosef, not everything in life is as it appears . We are given opportunities constantly to fix wrongs and that is a sure way to prepare ourselves for the Miketz , at the End of Days . HaShem Wants us all to get there and Puts Ways in our lives to correct ourselves .
The Story of Yosef and his brothers teaches us that all things have a reason for happening, though we may not understand it at the time, they do have reasons. Yosef showed how he still cared for his brother's spiritual welfare , by giving them the opportunity to atone .The Final result is for our benefit even though we cannot see that yet .This World is , as Pirkei Avos says , the Antechamber to prepare us for the Banquet Hall, Olam Habah . This is the Wolrd of Growing, to bring is to The Miketz and Olam Habah . We are here to prepare ourselves for Shamaim . HaShem Loves us and Walks with us always , Wanting us to work ourselves up to Him .
But first we have to ' Ketz ' which also means ' Cut ourselves ' off from all that is negative and focus purely on the Good and Righteous Path of His Holy Torah , the Sweet Light to His Miketz at the End of Days . We saw this in the Story of Chanukah, where a small cruse of pure oil, lit the Menorah for Eight Days, So far can Holy Actions go . We just need to turn back to HaShem and His Holy Laws. If each of us can do actions of holiness and purity, we can bring this World to Light .
So each and every day , we need to give of ourselves to help bring Creation around us into Olam Habah.
We need to all work together to correct ourselves and those around us. We need to start with loving HaShem and His Torah and follow Him Always , and our destination with His Love , will be the Miketz of Olam Habah .
I wish HaShem with Love , a Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh and Chag Chanukah Sameach and Chodesh Tov with Love , and to all my fellow Yidden, a beautiful Shabbos Kodesh and Chag Chanukah Sameach and Chodesh Tov with love .